Portable ice-freezing house



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. A. VON KRAUSE.

PORTABLE ICE PREEZIMG'HOUSE.

No. 276,508. ented Apr. Z4, 1883.,

- WITNESSES INVENTOR:

jz: BY I 3 I W ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Phommrw n hu, Wzfluinglon. 0.6.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. VON K RAUSE.

PORTABLE 10B FREEZIMG HOUSE.

No. 276,508. Patented Apr.24,1883.

E I A Y I g 2 iii T.

2 L12? (U ,0 WITNESSES: I I INVENTOR: W am %:Wl/

fijw BY ATTORNEYS.

N. FEI'ERS. Phnlo-Lilhognphnn Wnhin tun, o. C.

. rand details and combinations of UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR VON KRAUSE, OF WEST NEW BRIGHTON, YORK.

PGRTA BLE ICE- FREEZING HOUSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,508, dated April24, 1883.

Application filed February 21,1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR VON KRAUSE, of West New Brighton, Richmondcounty, New York, have invented a new and Improved Portable Ice-FreezingHouse, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved portableice-freezing house for forming large blocks of ice at a temperature buta few degrees below the freezingpoint, and when it is impossible tofreeze ice of any considerable thickness, except by artifici'al means.

Theinvention consists in an ice-freezing house constructed with a framemounted on wheels running on tracks,'which house has its .sides and endsor the ends only made removable, or of a series of hinged doors, so thatwhen ablock of ice is formed in the building the ends can be opened orremoved and the building removed from the block of ice which remains onthe ground. In the building a series of wires are suspended in rows fromrods, and Water is sprinkled'against the rods,

which water congeals-and first forms partititions are gradually unitedor ice is formed between them, whereby a solid block of ice will beformed, from which the wires can be withdrawn, upon which the block canbe cut in pieces.

the'same, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the drawings, forming a part of thisSpecification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts inallthe figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved ice-freezing house. Fig. 2is a perspective view. of i the front beam, showing the mortise andtenon of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lap-joint of theends of the side and endbeams. Fig. 4 is a crosssectional elevation ofmy improved ice-freezing house, andFig. 5 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation of the same.

The invention also consists in variousparts accompanying The frameA of ahouse, which is preferably made square, rests upon the base side bars,B, which are provided with the rollers or small wheels C, which run ontracks I). The walls of the building are composed. of a series of doors,E, hinged to the end posts of the frame and swinging against a middlepost, F, which is provided with any suitable device for holding thedoors closed. The doors are made hollow-that is, with an air-space inthemand preferably the outer walls of the doors are made of wood and theinner walls of metal. The doors are to be made about from one andone-half to two and one-half feet wide, and are to be so constructed asto fit very closely on each other and against the middle post. Themiddle posts, F, are each provided at the upper ends with a tenon,G,fitting in a corresponding mortise in the top side beams on top endbeams. At the lower ends the posts F are each provided with a tenon, G,fitting into an L-shaped mortise, H, in the bottom side beams, B, orbottom end beams, J, which L- shaped mortises H have the open end at theouter edge of the bottom side beams, B, or

bottom end beams, J, so that the tenons G.

vided in the upper surfaces of the ends projecting beyond the ends ofthe frame with recesses B for receiving the ends of the bottom endbeams, J, which are provided with corresponding recesses, J, in thebottom surfaces,

so that the upper surfaces of the beams B and J will be about flush. Theupper part of the frame is covered by a sheathing, K, of metal or wood,and at the lower edge of said sheathing a floor is constructed in thehouse, which floor is formed of a series of slats, M, placed equidistantand resting on a series of transverse beams, N. Between each two slats Ma water-distributing pipe, 0, is arranged, which is provided on itslower edge with fine perforations. Water is conducted into the pipes Oby three transverse feed-pipes, P, which are connected with a pipe, Q,extending down on the side of the building, and which can be coupled toany other suitable feed pipe orhose. A rod, B, is to beheld under eachslat M, and

from each rod R a series of wires, S, is suspended, which wires areprovided at their up per ends with hooks or rings, through which ICO therods R pass.- The rods R are passed through staples T, projecting fromthe bottom surface of the beams N, supporting the slats M.

I do not wish to limit myself to the abovedescribed manner of hangingthe rods R or of suspending the wires S from the said rods, but preferthis method of hanging them, as it is the most simple. If desired, theseveral wires can be suspended separately and independently from thebeams by means of other suitable devices. In all cases the wires arehung in the building in longitudinal rows, which are separated from eachother the same distance as the surface of the slats M; or, in otherwords, a series of parallel wire partitions will be formed. A stove, V,is arranged in the compartment in the upper part of the building for thepurpose of preventing the water conducted into this upper compartmentfrom freezing.

The building canbe made any desired suitable size, but I have found thatit is most-advantageous to make the same sixteen feet long, sixteen feetwide, and sixteen feet high,

exclusive of the compartment containing the stove, so that a block ofice of the dimensions of sixteen feet in all directions will beobconnected with a water-supply pipe.

tained. The doors and walls of the building can befilled with sawdust orany other non-conductor of heat, or can be covered with felt on theoutside, or made non-conductive in anyother suitable manner. Theinnersides of the doors, posts, &o., are to be covered with metal, so thatthe ice will not adhere to the same. The

water can be forced into the pipes by means of v a steam-pump, or by thenatural pressure of a raised body of water.

The operation is as follows: The pipe Q is The water will then be forcedthrough the pipe Q into the pipes P and O, and will be sprinkled in veryminute drops, or as a spray through the apertures in the pipes 0 againstthe wires S, forming the wire partitions on walls, will flow down thesaid wires, and will immediately congeal. A very small quantity of wateris distributed in a very thin layer over an enormous surface, and caneasily freeze at a temperature a few degrees below the freezingpoint. Ina very short time sufficient'ice will have formed between the wires S tounite them or form a partition of ice, which gradually increases as thewater is sprinkled against the same; but it may happen that the ice doesnot freeze equally throughout the entire height of the building, andproduces cavities or hollow spaces within the block of ice, whichmaterially impairs the quality of the same. To avoid this I operate asfollows: After the ice partitions have been formed-that is, after thewires have been united by a layer of ice and the space between thepartitions is to be filledI open the bottom doors 'E, but keep all theupper doors closed, so'that the cold air can circulate only in the lowerpart of the house. The water that runs down to the lower part of thewires will then be congealed by the cold I air circulating in the lowerpart of the house. After a solid block of ice has been formed in thelowest part of the house, I open the next higher doors and form icebetween those parts of the partitions corresponding to the second set ofdoors. Then the next higher doors are opened, and so on until the entirebuilding is filled with one solid block of ice. As I form a solid massof ice in the bottom of the house first, it can never happen that theupper part of the building is filled with solid ice and holes orcavities are formed in the lower part of the block. Another advantage ofthe doors is that the same can be opened at opposite sides or ends ofthe house to conduct the wind directly through the building, and theythus serve as wind-guides. As circumstances may require, the doors atthe ends and sides or at the ends only may be opened. If the temperaturerises so high that it is impossible to freeze the Water, all the doorswill be closed and the operation interrupted until the return of colderweather. The ice formed does not meltfbut remains perfectly firm in thebuilding until the operation is resumed. The stove V must be provided,so as to prevent the water from freezing before it is sprinkled againstthe partitions. After the block has thusbeen formed it is necessary toremove it from the building. This is accomplished by moving the buildingfrom the ice. For this purpose the end-doors E are opened, the bottomtenons, G, of the middle pieces, F, in each end of the building areremoved from the L-shaped mortises H, the upper tenons, G, are removedfrom the mortises in the top end pieces, and then'the bottom end platesor bars, J, are removed. The

rods R are all withdrawn from the staplesTand from the several loops orhooks at the upper ends of the wires S, which are thus disengaged fromthebuilding and are held solelyin the block of ice. The building is thenpushed from the block of ice in the direction of the length of thebuilding, the block of ice remaining on the ground, and the buildingmoving forward on its wheels, which run on the tracks D. The wires Sremain in the block of ice, and must be'removed before the block can beout into pieces. The heat of the air passes onto the wires,is conductedthroughout the entire length of the same, and loosens the samesufficiently to permit of withdrawing them. The apertures left in theblock by the wires immediately fill with water, which freezes and closesthem, so that a solid, clear block of ice is obtained,

which may then be cut into pieces of any desired size with suitabledevices. As soon as the house has been removed fresh wires can besuspended in the same and a fresh block of ice started immediately andno time will be lost, so that by one of the above-describedfreezing-houses an enormous quantity of ice can be producedin a shorttime and as rapidly as the water can be pumped into the house.

It is natural that the block of ice should formmuch more rapidly whenthe temperature is considerably below the freezing point than when it isnear that point.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecureby DettersPatent-- 1. An ice-freezing house mounted on wheels andprovided with removable ends or sides, substantially as herein shown anddescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

2. An ice-freezing house constructed with a series of wires suspended inrows and devices for sprinkling water against the rows of wires,

substantially as herein shown and described,

and for thepurpose set forth.

3. An ice-freezing house constructed with removable ends, with a seriesof wires hung in rows, and with devices for sprinkling water against thewires, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purposeset forth.

4. The combination, with an ice-freezing house, of the slats M, theperforated pipes between the slats, the rods R, hung below the slats,and the wires S, suspended from the said rods, substantially as hereinshown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with an ice-freezing house, of the slats M, theperforated pipes 0 between the said slats, the feed-pipes P, the

pipe Q, the rods R, held below the slats M, and the wires S, suspendedfrom the rods R, substantially as herein shown and described, and forthe purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with an ice-freezing house, of a floor containingdevices for distributing water, and of a stove in the compartment abovethe said floor, substantially as herein shown and described, and for thepurpose of preventing the water from freezing in the distributing-pipes.

7. The combination, with an ice-freezing house, of a series of hingeddoors arranged one above the other, a removable central post, F, and aremovable bottom cross-piece, J, substantially as herein shown anddescribed, and for the purpose set forth. a

8. The combination, with an ice-freezing house, of a series of hingeddoors, E, arranged one above the other, a central post, F, provided witha tenon, G, at the bottom, and a crosspiece, J, provided with an L-shaped mortise, H, substantially as herein shown and described, and forthe purpose set forth.

. ARTHUR VON KRAUSE.

Witnesses:

OSCAR F. GUNZ, G. SEDGWICK.

